Palm Beach County Democrat to run for state party post after resignations

Terrie Rizzo, chairwoman of the Palm Beach County Democratic Party, seen here among the activists gathered in Pompano Beach on Jan. 11, 2017, for a forum among candidates for chairman of the Florida Democratic Party. Now, she's running for the spot herself. (Anthony Man)

Amid high-level resignations in the Florida Democratic Party, Palm Beach County Democratic Party Chairwoman Terrie Rizzo announced Monday she would seek the statewide leadership post.

“If elected to serve, I will work tirelessly and lead with unparalleled motivation to achieve the goals of our party to ensure the inclusion of those who have been left behind, protect every voter’s rights, lift up new leaders, and grow our Democratic base,” Rizzo wrote in a Facebook message announcing her candidacy.

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Former state party chairman Stephen Bittel announced his resignation on Friday, effective Monday, after allegations of sexual harassment.

State party President Sally Boynton Brown announced her resignation on Monday, after defending Bittel.

“It is unfortunate that not everyone who has worked with Chairman Bittel has had the same experience I have,” she wrote on Medium.com. “In my experience, Chairman Bittel has been refreshingly open to feedback, given by myself and others, about his conversational style and modified his approach when he learned that others found it off-putting.”

The high-level shake-up in the Democratic Party comes as the party prepares for what many assume will be an anti-Trump wave election. Presidents typically lose congressional seats in off-year elections, and President Donald Trump suffers from low approval ratings. In addition, Florida Democrats this year won a special election for a state Senate seat in Miami-Dade and the mayoral race in St. Petersburg.

Rizzo was already selected to be chairwoman of the Florida Democratic County Chairs based in part on her success in precinct-level organizing throughout the county, a grassroots model that is being studied in many other Florida counties and was touted as the way forward by Bittel prior to the revelations sexual harassment.